New suicide attack uses children again

FOR the second time in two days, a family of suicide bombers — including an eight-year-old girl — have waged terror attacks in Indonesia using pipe bombs made from a chemical dubbed the “Mother of Satan”.

And members of a third family were all killed in an explosion in their apartment where they are believed to have been making bombs for another attack with the same chemicals.

Early yesterday a family of five riding two motorbikes, detonated themselves at a security checkpoint at the Surabaya police headquarters in East Java. Four of the family, including the parents, were killed. An eight-year-old girl was taken to hospital. Six civilians and four officers were wounded

It came 24 hours after another family — parents Dita Priyanto and Puji Kuswati and their four children, age nine to 18 — suicide bombed three churches in Surabaya, killing 13 people and injuring more than 40 others.

On Sunday night, three members of one family were killed in an accidental explosion in an apartment in Sidoarjo, Surabaya, where they are believed to have been making bombs.

A mother, father and child were killed and two children were taken to hospital.

Unexploded pipe bombs, similar to those used at the church earlier that day, were found.

Indonesian police chief General Tito Karnavian said the families were part of a network and knew each other.

The attacks appeared to be revenge for the detention and trial of Indonesian terrorist leader Aman Abdurahman, currently before the courts for inspiring the January 2016 attack on a Starbucks cafe in Jakarta.

The latest attacks, condemned around the world, were the first in Indonesia that used young children as suicide bombers.

“Using children, this is the first time in Indonesia. A nine-year-old and a 12-yearold kid with a bomb on their waist and then committing suicide,” Gen Karnavian said.

Police said the attackers were all members and supporters of Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Ansharut Daulah or JAD, which formed in 2015.